Each day, CollegeBasketballTalk brings you the “Pregame Shootaround,” which will lay out a preview for the slate of games that night. We’ll take a look at some key match-ups and important games, as well as make some predictions and point out what you need to watch for. Take a look below at today’s edition:

Note: The weekend editions of Pregame Shootaround will be published half an hour prior to tip-off of the day’s first game.

Game of the Day: Memphis at Tennessee (8 PM)
Remember a few years ago when these two teams met at FedEx Forum in a matchup of the top two teams in the country? Circumstances are far different this time around, as both the Tigers and Volunteers could use a solid non-conference win on their resume before beginning conference play. Looking at it from that perspective it can be argued that Memphis needs this game more, as they play in a Conference USA that’s looking like a one-bid league right now while Tennessee will have a shot at the likes of Florida, Kentucky and Missouri in the SEC.

The Tigers have been the better offensive team of the two this season, and how effective they are will hinge on the play of Joe Jackson. When he’s engaged Memphis is a tough team to beat, as they also boast players such as Adonis Thomas and Geron Johnson. Tennessee counters with Jarnell Stokes inside and Jordan McRae and Trae Golden on the perimeter but they’re shooting just 42% from the field on the season. This will be an emotional slugfest, and maybe by the end of it we’ll know once and for all the status of this series.

Who’s Getting Upset?: Georgia (vs. George Washington; 7 PM)
Not sure if this would qualify as a true “upset” since the Colonials are 6-6 while Georgia enters the game with a 5-7 mark. But with this being their final game before the start of SEC play it would be in the Bulldogs’ best interest to defend Stegeman Coliseum. To do so they’ll need to keep Isaiah Armwood under wraps, as he’d reached double figures in five straight games before George Washington’s win over Sacred Heart on December 30. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is averaging 17.5 points per game to lead Georgia, but who’s his sidekick? Mark Fox needs a player to step up tonight, especially when looking ahead to conference play. But since that has yet to happen, expect George Washington’s Lasan Kromah to be the difference.

Mid-Major Matchup of the Day: Cleveland State at Valparaiso (7 PM)
The Horizon League race has the makings of being a really good one, with Valparaiso and Detroit leading the way. With that in mind this is a big game for the Crusaders, who enter tonight 0-1 in conference play. Cleveland State enters with an 8-6 record but Gary Waters’ team has struggled defensively, as opponents are averaging 70.1 points per game and shooting 46.3% from the field. Taking on Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk, the Vikings can’t afford to defend at that level tonight. Defensive issues are one reason why CSU is 1-5 on the road this season, and losing Anton Grady back in November (knee injury) certainly didn’t help matters.

Five Things

1) “The record’s very misleading. There’s five or six of the games that (were) very winnable, so I really don’t think we can worry about our record right now.” Those were the words of Siena head coach Mitch Buonaguro earlier this week in regards to the Saints’ 2-11 record. His players have a chance to prove him right and end their six-game losing streak tonight as they host Iona (7 PM).

2) How many three-pointers will Ole Miss’ Marshall Henderson attempt tonight? The Rebels will look to run against a Fordham (9 PM) team that can be drawn into such contests, but the Rams do have some talented pieces (Branden Frazier and Chris Gaston leading the way). Fordham’s allowing opponents to shoot 33.3% from beyond the arc, which could mean more openings for Henderson.

3) Having already beaten Providence, Brown looks to pick up a win at Rhode Island (7 PM) to move to 2-1 against in-state opponents this season (they lost to Bryant). Matt Sullivan leads four Bears in double figures with an average of 14.4 points per game but it was Tucker Halpern who hit eight three-pointers last week. Dan Hurley’s young Rams will counter with guards Xavier Munford and Andre Malone.

4) Tulane looks to move to 12-3 on the season as they host a dangerous Wofford team in New Orleans (8 PM). One thing about the Green Wave: their strength of schedule ranks 338th nationally, so there are questions about the strength of their 11-3 mark. If the Terriers can turn this into a slugfest they can win.

5) The SWAC is the busiest conference tonight as there are four conference games on the slate. Texas Southern visits Alcorn State led by high-volume shooter Omar Strong, and these games will offer the answer to the question of which SWAC team has grown the most from the many guarantee-game beatings they took in non-conference play.